News tagged with conduct electricity

(Phys.org) -- Similar to how tighter stiches make for a better quality quilt, the "stitching" between individual crystals of graphene affects how well these carbon monolayers conduct electricity and retain their strength, ...

Thermoelectric devices—which can either generate an electric current from a difference in temperature or use electricity to produce heating or cooling without moving parts—have been explored in the laboratory since the ...

(Phys.org)—Copper is one of the world's most widely used metals. Now researchers at the University of Dundee have found that blackening copper using industry-standard lasers could make it even more adaptable and efficient.

A new combination of nanoparticles and graphene results in a more durable catalytic material for fuel cells, according to work published today online at the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The catalytic material ...

(Phys.org)—In bulk, topological insulators (TIs) are good insulators, but on their surface they act as metals, with a twist: the spin and direction of electrons moving across the surface of a TI are locked together. TIs ...

Solar cells, light emitting diodes, displays and other electronic devices could get a bump in performance because of a discovery at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory that establishes new boundaries ...

(Phys.org) —An old, somewhat passé, trick used to purify protein samples based on their affinity for water has found new fans at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where materials scientists are using ...

Physicists at the University of Michigan say they have devised a more elegant way to fine-tune the behavior of topological insulators—peculiar, two-faced materials whose electrical properties differ markedly between their ...